RE-DOING THE VIEW
REMODEL ACCENTUATES FABULOUS VISTAS
By Shelly Billiet / Photos by Carter Photographics / Before Photos Courtesy of Virginia Pizzella-Bierig

The lot commanded a 360-degree unobstructed view of open hay meadows and mountains.

It was just an ordinary run; she chose to take a path through the Junction Ranch neighborhood east of Tabernash. Virginia (Ginny) Pizzella-Bierig, an avid runner, and a two-decade Grand County resident, booked many miles training in the Fraser Valley. In fact, she is a marathon runner – twice competing in the Boston Marathon.

Virginia wasn’t in the market to buy a new house but there it was – a modest structure on a stunning lot in Tabernash with a “for sale” sign. The view of the Continental Divide and surrounding Fraser Valley was incredible. Almost every view in Grand County is spectacular, but the view from this lot commands a 360-degree unobstructed panorama of open hay meadows and mountains. Virginia realized this home’s location on the outskirts of Tabernash allowed easy access to miles and miles of backcountry roads for jogging. The lot was large and level offering plenty of space for a huge vegetable and herb garden, a very exciting prospect for Ginny, a passionate gardener with a great love for the outdoors. The yard was also much in need of landscaping, another one of her specialties.

To take advantage of the fantastic view and enhance the living space, an addition was constructed to include a new south-facing dining room, space for a larger kitchen, a sunroom, a more open living area, and a large deck facing the Divide.

As soon as she finished her run, she called her husband, Jeff Bierig, to come have a look. The house itself was by no means special, but they felt it had wonderful potential and they could remodel it some day. They purchased the house just two months later.

After living in the home for a few years, Virginia and Jeff started thinking about renovation plans for the structure. The couple began consulting with long-time friend and architectural designer, Tim Koepke, to get the ball rolling. They had three main goals in mind for the house: increase the home’s openness to the outdoors, update the exterior appearance, and create a kitchen space that would really embrace Virginia’s love of cooking.

To take advantage of the fantastic view and enhance the living space, they decided to construct an additional 800 square feet to include a new south-facing dining room. This created more space for a larger kitchen, a sunroom as a nice reading nook, a more open living area, and a large deck facing the Divide. “We had a grand vision including interior timbers and posts but the budget put us into reality mode. Tim and our builder, Christenson & Drager, were really great in this regard. They helped us rein things in and get back to a budget we were comfortable with,” relays Virginia.

Kitchen designer, Karin Conrad (CKD) of Grand Woodworks, recommended taking out an existing wall in between the kitchen and new living room to open up the space and create room for a large island.

When it came time to develop her kitchen layout, Virginia wanted to create a space that was simple – with clean lines and a light feeling. She consulted Karin Conrad (CKD), designer and co-owner of Grand Woodworks in Tabernash. “Virginia has a great passion for cooking,” says Karin. “We had several discussions about how she likes to cook and entertain as well as the overall look she wished to achieve.”

Conrad recommended taking out an existing wall in between the kitchen and new living room to open up the space and create room for a large island. “The island functions as a great work surface for Virginia and transitions the kitchen to the living room as well as the dining room,” she explains. To further open up the room, the couple decided to remove the soffit framing at the ceiling, creating a vaulted ceiling in the kitchen.

The kitchen cabinetry was custom-built by the craftsmen at Grand Woodworks; just a stone’s throw from Jeff and partner Bill Ritter’s business, Fraser Crane, in Tabernash’s “Industrial Center.” The subtly grained, natural maple cabinets lighten up the previously dark kitchen area. “When Karin recommended some glass door panels to add some interest to the design, I was hesitant,” says Virginia, “but now that everything is in place, I am so glad I went with her idea; it really brightens up the space.”

For her kitchen layout, Virginia wanted to create a space that was simple – with clean lines and a light feeling.

Gorgeous, yet practical soapstone countertops, made by Mother Nature, finished off the kitchen perfectly. Soapstone is a natural, non-porous stone that is extremely durable and easy to maintain. “Soapstone comes in variations of grey, green and black, even incorporating some earth tones on occasion,” says Conrad.

Ginny and Jeff wanted to embrace as many other “green” choices as possible, including using locally sourced rough-sawn blue-stain pine for the exterior batten board siding. Blue-stain pine was also used on the ceiling of the kitchen, living room and dining room. Recycling discarded wood from the pine beetle epidemic instead of cutting live trees for siding was appealing to them.

Bamboo flooring – a sustainable wood species that is very hard and has a nice airy feeling – was the perfect selection for the flooring material.

Seeking to enhance the energy efficiency of their home, Virginia and Jeff sought out Jason Minasian of Colorado Solar Energy and Heating. He suggested a Buderus domestic solar hot water system. “With an investment of $7,500 to $10,000, a homeowner can save 85 percent of their fuel costs on the water they heat to bathe, do laundry, and wash dishes. Running solely off of two roof-mounted solar panels, Virginia and Jeff’s system will pay for itself in a fairly short time span,” says Minasian.

Spring is around the corner, and Virginia is chomping at the bit to get outdoors and work in her yard. She can’t wait to gather veggies from her garden and create some Italian specialties in her fantastic new kitchen. The couple is also enjoying having a little extra cash around due to the reduction of their gas bill. All in all, the result of their remodeling effort has been very pleasing, helping Jeff and Virginia work toward what they believe in – a more sustainable lifestyle!

BEFORE PHOTOS - Before the remodel, the previous kitchen cabinets left the kitchen dark, so Grand Woodworks custom-built new cabinetry using subtly grained, natural maple cabinets to lighten up the kitchen area. To take advantage of the fantastic view and enhance the living space, an additional 800 square feet was constructed to include a new south-facing dining room, a larger kitchen, a sunroom, a more open living area, and a large deck facing the Divide. Before photos courtesy of Virginia Pizzella-Bierig.

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